Orange juice prices to be affected by Hurricane Irma

Several orange groves in Southwest Florida suffered damage from Hurricane Irma. Entire orange trees were uprooted and are no longer living.

That's the case for groves all across the state of Florida. According to the Florida Department of Citrus, 30-70 percent of the state's citrus crop was destroyed by Irma. All of that damage to Florida's number one cash crop will likely have a large impact on the price of orange juice.

Right now, the average price of a gallon of orange juice in Southwest Florida is about $6. Some economists estimate that price could rise by up to $2.30 to more than $8 per gallon.

"I think that's too much," said Elana Villon, who recently moved to Southwest Florida. "It's already expensive. It would be hard for us to drink orange juice or even purchase it."

"There's a lot of people here with young children, and now they're going to have extra added expenses. It's rough, rough times," Lehigh Acres resident Anthony Cava said.

Sun Harvest Citrus has been a Southwest Florida staple for nearly three decades. When they first heard about the hurricane, they feared the worst for their fresh-squeezed orange juice, which is made from oranges grown on Florida's east coast.

"We still received wind damage, 100 miles-per-hour winds, flooding," said Kenny Howell, marketing coordinator at Sun Harvest Citrus, "so we didn't escape completely, but we are on the low-end of the damage."

Now they're promising their prices will stay the same.

"Customers can expect to receive fresh citrus. It might look a little different, but it tastes the same. The outside might have a few blemishes, but it's going to be the same quality, same freshness, same sweet taste. Our orange juice prices will not be affected," Howell said.

Farmers are still assessing the damage from Hurricane Irma, but oranges likely won't be the only Florida fruits affected. Grapefruits, tomatoes, and sugarcane crops all took a hit during the hurricane, which will affect produce prices across the country.